JPH09286151A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize the setting of rolled sheets having arbitrary size to arbitrary position in response to use conditions and objects in use by a method wherein a roll supporting device, to the desired position of which a plurality of the rolled sheets formed by respectively winding a plurality of sheets different in width dimension from one another in rolls are set simultaneously and selectively, is equipped. SOLUTION: In a paper feeding station 1, a plurality of rear side paper feeding rollers, rear side supporting roller mechanisms and rear side supporting rollers are arranged so as to be able to selectively set an LL-sized rolled paper formed by winding a paper having the width of 914mm in a roll, an L-sized rolled paper having the width of 841mm, an M-sized rolled paper having the width of 594mm and an S-sized rolled paper having the width of 297mm at the rear side seen from an operating face side Z. In addition, the actions of the M-sized and the S-sized rolled papers are independently or simultaneously controlled by means of connecting mechanisms. An arbitrary-sized rolled sheet can be set to an arbitrary position in response to use conditions and objects in use.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which is applied to, for example, a printer or a plotter and which can continuously record desired images on sheets of various sizes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, sheets of various sizes (for example,
The following two methods are known as methods for forming an image on an A series size sheet (A4, A3, A2, A1, A0, etc.).

The first method is a method of setting only an A0 size sheet roll (A0 size sheet wound in a roll shape) in an image forming apparatus and cutting it to a desired size after image formation. The second method is to set a plurality of sheet rolls of each size in the image forming apparatus and cut each sheet into a desired length after image formation.
In such a method, when a desired image is formed on sheets of various sizes from A4 to A0, three types of sheet rolls having different widths are required. In particular,
In these sheet rolls, a sheet roll having a width of 297 mm corresponds to A4 and A3 sizes, a sheet roll having a width of 594 mm corresponds to A2 sizes, and a width of 841 m
A sheet roll of m corresponds to A1 and A0 sizes. In these sheet rolls, if the length per roll is 150 m, the A0 size sheet roll generally has a weight of about 10 kgf.

In the conventional image forming apparatus, a three-stage pull-out tray is provided at the lower portion of the apparatus or on the operation side so that these three sheet rolls can be mounted. And a roller for pulling out a desired sheet from each sheet roll held by these holding sections.

In such a conventional image forming apparatus,
The desired sheet pulled out by each roller passes through the sheet path, and then is conveyed to a recording section by a predetermined conveying means to be subjected to image recording. Then, the sheet on which the image is recorded is cut into a predetermined length by a cutting unit arranged on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. After this, the sheet is rewound again, and the next image recording operation is started.

[0006]

However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, since the setting position of the sheet roll is fixed, there is a problem that the setting position cannot be flexibly changed according to the use situation and purpose of use. is there. For example, it is not possible to set only a large size sheet and record a large image on the sheet, or change the setting position of a small size sheet roll to a desired position.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to set a sheet roll of an arbitrary size at an arbitrary position according to a use situation or an intended purpose. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus.

[0008]

In order to achieve such an object, the image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a plurality of sheet rolls each formed by winding a plurality of sheets having different width dimensions in a roll shape. A roll supporting device for simultaneously and selectively setting a desired position on the upper surface is provided.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The image forming apparatus of the present embodiment is configured to record a desired image on a sheet of a predetermined size, and examples of the sheet include recording paper, paper, plastic film,
A cloth or the like can be applied.

In the following description, as an example,
An image forming apparatus using a sheet as an image recording sheet will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a sheet feeding station 1 capable of accommodating a plurality of rolls of a sheet of a predetermined size wound in a roll shape, and this sheet feeding station. A recording station 2 for recording a desired image on a sheet fed from 1 and a processing station (not shown) for discharging the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording station 2 are provided.

In this embodiment, for example, the width 8
A roll paper formed by winding a 41 mm paper 101 in a roll shape is an L size roll paper 101, for example, a roll paper formed by winding a paper 102 having a width of 594 mm in a roll shape is an M size roll paper 102, for example, a paper 103 having a width of 297 mm.
Is a S-size roll paper 103, for example, a roll paper is a 914-mm-width paper 100 and is a LL-size roll paper 100.
(See FIG. 9).

As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feeding station 1 is provided with a front side feed so that the LL size roll paper 100 or the L size roll paper 101 can be set on the front side when viewed from the operation surface side Z. Paper roller 902, front side support roller mechanism 904, and front side support roller 90
6 are arranged.

The front side sheet feeding roller 902 is provided with bearings (not shown) for the first and second frames 20.
The sheet feeding roller 902 is rotatably supported by a clutch (not shown) to which a driving force transmitted from a motor (not shown) to a driving belt (not shown) is provided. ) Is transmitted via. The paper feed roller 902 is configured such that at least the friction coefficient of the outer peripheral surface of the central portion is higher than that of other portions.

The front side support roller mechanism 904 is rotatably supported by the first frame 201 by a bearing (not shown) in parallel with the front side paper feed roller 902.

The front side support roller 906 is rotatably supported by the second frame 202 by a bearing (not shown) on the same line as the support roller mechanism 904 and in parallel with the paper feed roller 902.

In the paper feeding station 1, LL size roll paper 100, L size roll paper 101, M size roll paper 102, and S size roll paper 103 are selectively set on the rear side when viewed from the operation surface Z. Therefore, a plurality of rear side paper feed rollers, rear side support roller mechanisms, and rear side support rollers are arranged. The driving force transmitted from a motor (not shown) to a drive belt (not shown) from a motor (not shown) is transmitted to a plurality of rear paper feed rollers via a clutch (not shown). Has been done. It should be noted that these rear side paper feed rollers are configured such that at least the friction coefficient of the outer peripheral surface of the central portion is higher than that of other portions.

On the rear side of the paper feeding station 1, there are provided first and second center frames 908 and 910 arranged at equal intervals between the first and second frames 201 and 202. Center frame 908, 91
The rear side of the sheet feeding station 1 is divided into three areas A, B, and C by 0.

In the area A, the rear side paper feed roller 912
Are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) between the first frame 201 and the first center frame 908. The rear side support roller mechanism 914 is
The first frame 201 is rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) in parallel with the rear paper feed roller 912. The rear side support roller 916 is arranged on the same line as the support roller mechanism 914 and parallel to the paper feed roller 912 by a bearing (not shown).
It is rotatably supported by the center frame 908.

In the area B, the rear side paper feed roller 918
Are rotatably supported between the first and second center frames 908 and 910 by bearings (not shown). The rear side support roller mechanism 920 is rotatably supported by the first center frame 908 in parallel with the rear side paper feed roller 918 by a bearing (not shown). The rear side support roller 922 is rotatably supported by the second center frame 910 by a bearing (not shown) on the same line as the support roller mechanism 920 and in parallel with the paper feed roller 918.

In the area C, the rear paper feed roller 924
Are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) between the second frame 202 and the second center frame 910. The rear side support roller mechanism 926 is
The second center frame 910 is parallel to the rear paper feed roller 924 by a bearing (not shown).
It is rotatably supported by. Rear side support roller 928
Are rotatably supported by the second frame 202 by bearings (not shown) on the same line as the support roller mechanism 926 and in parallel to the paper feed roller 924.

The three rear paper feed rollers 912, 918, 924 arranged in the ABC area are positioned on the same line and parallel to the front paper feed roller 902.

The front and rear sheet feeding rollers 902, 912, 918 and 924 respectively have sleeves 902a, 912a, 918a and 924a formed at one end thereof and step portions 902b and 912b at the other ends thereof. , 9
18b and 924b are formed. Note that the flange 101a (see FIGS. 2 and 9) of the L-size roll paper 101 can be fitted to the rear side paper feed roller 924 arranged in the area C at a position displaced to the other end side from the central portion thereof. A stepped portion 924c is formed.

Further, the first and second center frames 9
08 and 910 are respectively provided with connecting mechanisms (see FIG. 4), and the rear side sheet feeding rollers 912, 918 and 924 are individually rotatable by these connecting mechanisms.

The connecting mechanism will be described below with reference to FIG. Since the respective connecting mechanisms have the same configuration as each other, in the following description, only the connecting mechanism provided in the first center frame 908 will be described, and the connecting mechanisms provided in the second center frame 910 will be described. The description of the connected coupling mechanism will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the other end of the rear paper feed roller 912 is rotatably supported by a bearing 930 on the first center frame 908.
One end of the rear side paper feed roller 918 is rotatably supported by the bearing 932.

A gear portion 934 having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the paper feeding roller 912 is provided between the step portion 912b of the paper feeding roller 912 and the bearing 930, and the gear portion 934 has a conductive portion. The gear 936 is meshed.

The transmission gear 936 is attached to one end of a gear shaft 938 that is rotatably supported by the first center frame 908. The other end of the gear shaft 938 is provided with a slide gear 942 that is constantly urged in the direction of the transmission gear 936 by an urging spring 940. The slide gear 942 is slidable along the gear shaft 938. It is not rotatable.

On the other hand, a shaft portion 944 having a small diameter extending from the sleeve 918a is provided at one end of the paper feed roller 918, and the slide gear 9 is provided at the extending end of the shaft portion 944.
A gear portion 946 that can be meshed with the gear 42 is provided. It should be noted that the gear portion 946 and the slide gear 942 are always maintained in the meshed state by the biasing spring 940 when the roll paper of an arbitrary size is not set.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4B, it is assumed that the M size roll paper 102 is set over the BC region (see FIG. 1), for example. In this case, the rear side support roller mechanism 920, the sleeve 918 a of the rear side paper feed roller 918, and the step portion 92 of the rear side paper feed roller 924.
4b, by mounting the flange 102a on the rear side support roller 928, the M size roll paper 102 is set in the BC area while being positioned in the axial direction.

When the M size roll paper 102 is set in this way, the operating arm 948a of the actuator 948 rotatably supported by the first center frame 908 is
It is pressed by the flange 102a. At this time, the pressure arm 948b of the actuator 948 causes the biasing spring 940
The slide gear 942 is pressed against the biasing force of. As a result, the meshing state of the slide gear 942 and the gear portion 946 is released, so that the sheet feeding roller 912 in the A area and the sheet feeding roller 918 in the B area can be rotated separately. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG.
Set S size roll paper 103 to
When the M size roll paper 102 is set over the C region (see FIG. 1), when the image forming apparatus is driven by the operation panel 952 (see FIG. 10) provided on the top cover 801, the M size roll paper 102 and Desired paper 102, 1 from at least one of S size roll paper 103
It is possible to feed 03.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the M size roll paper 102 is removed, the actuator 94
The pressing force of the operating arm 948a of No. 8 is released. in this case,
Since the slide gear 942 is biased by the biasing spring 940, the slide gear 942 meshes with the gear portion 946. As a result, the sheet feeding roller 912 in the area A and the sheet feeding roller 918 in the area B can rotate integrally.

The operating state of the actuator 948 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) is constantly detected by the detection circuit 95.
0, and based on the detection signal output from the detection circuit 950 to the operation panel 952 (see FIG. 10), various roll papers 100, 101, 102, 103 are displayed on the display unit 952a of the operation panel 952. The set position and the set state of are displayed. As a result, the operator can grasp the setting position and setting state of the roll papers 100, 101, 102, 103 set in the image forming apparatus without opening the top cover 801 (see FIG. 10). Become.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
S size roll paper 103 was set in the area (see FIG. 1), M size roll paper 102 was set in the BC area (see FIG. 1), and L size roll paper 101 was set in the front side. Imagine a case.

In this state, any roll paper 10
While the image recording on the sheets 1, 102, 103 is being performed, or after the predetermined image recording is completed, each sheet 10
In the case of rewinding 1, 102, 103, each of the sheets 101, 102, 103 is rewound by driving the support roller mechanisms 904, 914, 920, 926.

Hereinafter, each supporting roller mechanism 904, 914,
920 and 926 will be described with reference to FIG. Since each support roller mechanism has the same configuration, the front side support roller mechanism 9 will be described below.
04, only the other support roller mechanisms 914,
The description of 920 and 926 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, a support roller mechanism 904
Is a support roller 954 which is formed of a material having a high coefficient of friction to some extent (for example, rubber) and is freely rotatable, and a second tooth which can be meshed with the first meshing portion 954a of the support roller 954. Electromagnetic clutch 95 having a joint 956a
6 is provided. The electromagnetic clutch 956 is the shaft 9
The reduction gear 960 is connected to the reduction gear 960 via a reverse motor 962. In addition, the shaft 958 is
It is fixed to a rotation shaft (not shown) of the reduction gear 960.

In such a configuration, when the L size roll paper 101 is set on the front side, the flange 101a of the L size roll paper 101 is supported by the support roller mechanism 904.
It will be placed on the supporting roller 954 of FIG.

In this case, when the sheet 101 is fed, since the meshing state of the first and second meshing portions 954a and 956a is released, the supporting roller 954 is rotated by the rotation of the flange 101a. And rotate freely.

On the other hand, when the paper 101 is rewound, the reverse motor 962 and the electromagnetic clutch 956 are operated by operating the operation key 952b (see FIG. 10) of the operation panel 952. At this time, the second meshing portion 956 a is the first meshing portion 9 of the supporting roller 954.
It meshes with 54a. At the same time, the rotational force of the reverse motor 962 is reduced through the reduction gear 960 and then transmitted to the electromagnetic clutch 956. As a result, the support roller 95
4 rotates in the reverse direction, so paper 1
01 will be rewound.

During the paper feeding operation or rewinding operation as described above, any roller paper 101, 102, 103
Is conveyed along a conveyance path (see FIG. 7) formed between the guide guides 966 and 968 having a desired rigidity and the fixed guides 122 and 121.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, for example, LM
When the desired papers 101, 102, 103 are selectively fed from the S size roll papers 101, 102, 103, the paper 101 is conveyed through the conveyance path formed between the fixed guide 122 and the guide guide 966 (see FIG. 7). (Refer to FIG. 4), while the sheets 102 and 103 are transferred to the fixed guide 1 respectively.
21 is conveyed along a conveyance path (see FIG. 7) formed between the guide 21 and the guide guide 968.

In this case, the respective sheets 101, 102, 103
Guides 9 so that the paper is fed smoothly and stably
66 and 968 are provided with a plurality of pinch rollers 970 and 972 which are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction T so as to be rotatable (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pinch rollers 970 and 972 are respectively mounted in brackets 974 and 976 attached to the swinging tip end portions of guide guides 966 and 968 which are swingably supported. It is rotatably held. The brackets 974 and 976 are constantly urged in the direction of the paper feed rollers 902, 912, 918, and 924 against their own weights by urging springs 978 and 980, respectively. As a result, each pinch roller 970 is always
The pinch rollers 972 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the front-side paper feed roller 902 evenly (see FIG. 6A).
At all times, the rear side feed rollers 912, 918, and 924 are uniformly and closely pressed against the outer peripheral surfaces (see FIG. 6B).

In the above description, an example in which LMS size roll papers 101, 102, 103 are set is shown.
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, LL size roll paper 100
Even if is set, it is possible to secure the same effect as the above.

Next, desired paper sheets 100, 101, 102, 103 are fed from the paper feed station 1 to the recording station 2.
The operation of feeding paper will be described. In the following description, as an example thereof, L set as shown in FIG.
The operation of feeding the desired sheets 101, 102, 103 from the MS size roll sheets 101, 102, 103 will be described.

First, the guide guide 966 is urged by the urging spring 978.
After pressing down against the urging force of the L size roll paper 10
The leading edge of the first sheet 101 is inserted between the front side sheet feeding roller 902 and each pinch roller 970 to make a nip.
Further, after the guide guide 968 is pushed down against the urging force of the urging spring 980, the MS size roll paper 102, 103 is pressed.
The front side of the rear side paper feed roller 91
Inserted between 2, 918, 924 and each pinch roller 972 to make a nip.

In this state, when the operation panel 952 (see FIG. 9) is operated to drive the image forming apparatus, the rotational driving force of the platen roller 501 rotationally driven by the motor 117 (see FIG. 3) is desired. Paper feed roller 90
2, 912, 918, 924. As a result,
With the rotation of the desired paper feed rollers 902, 912, 918, 924, LMS size roll paper 101, 102, 1
The desired sheets 101, 102, and 103 are fed from 03.

In such an operation, the paper 101 fed from the L size roll paper 101, for example, is conveyed along the conveyance path (see FIG. 7) formed between the fixed guide 122 and the guide guide 966. After that, the thin member 207 smoothly guides between the pinch holder 209 and the platen board 502. Then, the sheet 101 is conveyed to the recording station 2.

On the other hand, M and S size roll papers 102, 1
The operation of 03 is controlled separately or simultaneously by the connecting mechanism (see FIG. 4). Therefore, the M and S size roll papers 102 and 103 can be fed separately or simultaneously. In this case, M and S size roll paper 10
The sheets 102 and 103 fed from the sheet Nos. 2 and 103 are conveyed along a conveyance path (see FIG. 7) formed between the fixed guide 121 and the guide guide 968, and then the pinch holder 209 is conveyed by the conveyance guide 982. And platen board 5
It will be smoothly guided between 02 and. Then, the paper 102,
The sheet 103 will be conveyed to the recording station 2.

It should be noted that the sensors S1 and S are provided on each transport path.
2, S3 are arranged, and these sensors S1, S2,
The positions of the leading ends of the sheets 101, 102, and 103 are detected in S3. In addition, the pinch holder 20
9 is configured to be rotatable by a predetermined angle by a guide bar 208, and a drive pinch roller 507 is rotatably supported at the tip of this pinch holder 209. In such a configuration, by rotating the pinch holder 209, the drive pinch roller 507 can be brought into contact with and separated from the platen roller 501.

Next, the image recording operation of the recording station 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of this operation, as an example, only the operation of recording a desired image on the paper 101 fed from the L size roll paper 101 will be described, and the description of the image recording operation on the other papers 102 and 103 will be omitted. To do.

The sheet 10 conveyed to the recording station 2.
1 is a platen roller 501 and a drive pinch roller 507.
After being nipped between the sheet and the sheet, the sheet is conveyed to the image recording area.
In the image recording area, the inside of the platen unit 5 is pulled to a negative pressure by the suction means 504 (see FIG. 3).
For this reason, air is sucked from a large number of holes 502b (see FIG. 7) formed in the platen board 502. It should be noted that these many holes 502b are respectively formed in the paper transport direction T.
Is formed over the downstream side.

The sheet 101 pushed out by the platen roller 501 and the drive pinch roller 507 is evenly attracted to the platen board 502 and slides on the platen board 502 while being kept in a flat state.

At this time, the carriage unit 4 having an image recording section 401 capable of ejecting four color inks {black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y)}.
(See FIGS. 2 and 3) are linear guides 203 and 204.
By moving back and forth in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
A desired image is recorded on the sheet 101. That is, a desired image is recorded on the paper 101 by supplying the ink from the ink cartridge 4a containing the ink of each color to the image recording unit 401 via the ink tank 4b.

After such image recording is completed, the recorded sheet 101 is discharged to the processing station (not shown) by the pair of discharge rollers 206. At this time, the sheet 101 is cut into a desired size by the cutter 205 (see FIG. 3). The paper discharge roller pair 20 includes a drive roller 206a that is pressed against the paper non-recording surface and a driven roller 206b that is pressed against the paper recording surface, and is driven by a paper discharge motor 984 (see FIG. 3). 206
By driving a, the discharge timing can be controlled.

The other paper 10 set on the rear side
With respect to Nos. 2 and 103 as well, after image recording similar to the above is performed, the paper is cut into a desired size by the paper discharge roller pair 206 and the cutter 205 and then discharged.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b),
When the sheets 102 and 103 set on the rear side are conveyed to the recording station 2, a conveyance guide 982 for guiding the sheets 102 and 103 is fed from roll papers 100, 101, 102 and 103 having different sizes. In order to smoothly guide the paper, it is preferable to place the paper at a position avoiding the transport path (see (b) in the figure).

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, FIG. 2 and FIG.
As shown in (b), LMS size roll paper 101, 1
The example in which 02 and 103 are set has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and, for example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9C, the roll papers 100, 101, 102, and 103 are used.
It is also possible to set.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when the LL size roll paper 100 is set on the front side and the rear side at the same time, the sleeve 90 of the front side feed roller 902 is set.
The LL size roll paper 100 is set to the front side by fitting the flange 100a to the 2a and placing the other flange 100a on the step portion 902b (see FIG. 1). Further, by fitting the flange 100a to the sleeve 912a of the rear side feed roller 912 and placing another flange 100a on the step portion 924b (see FIG. 1) of the rear side feed roller 924, the LL size roll paper 100 Is set on the rear side.

Further, in FIG. 9C, LL is provided on the front side.
An example is shown in which the size or L size roll papers 100 and 101 are set and three S size roll papers 103 are set on the rear side.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus capable of setting the roll paper 100, 101, 102, 103 of arbitrary size at an arbitrary position according to the use situation and purpose of use is provided. It becomes possible to provide.

The present invention includes the following inventions. (1) A roll supporting device for simultaneously and selectively setting a plurality of sheet rolls, each of which is formed by winding a plurality of sheets having different width dimensions into a roll shape, on the upper surface of the device at a desired position, Image forming apparatus. (Structure) The present invention corresponds to a superordinate concept of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

The sheet roll applied to this embodiment is
The paper is rolled into a roll and has a width of 841 mm.
L-size roll paper 101 formed by winding a sheet 101 of a roll shape, M size roll paper 102 formed by a sheet of paper 594 mm in width rolled in a roll shape, and S formed by rolling a sheet 103 of width 297 mm in a roll shape The LL size roll paper 100 configured by winding the size roll paper 103 and the paper 100 having a width of 914 mm in a roll shape is applicable (see FIG. 2).
And FIG. 9). (Operation / Effect) According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of setting a sheet roll of an arbitrary size at an arbitrary position according to a use situation or purpose of use. (2) The roll supporting device is capable of setting the plurality of sheet rolls at arbitrary positions and is configured to selectively rotate the plurality of sheet rolls;
The image forming apparatus according to (1) above, further comprising a plurality of support roller units that rotatably support the plurality of sheet rolls. (Structure) In the present invention, the plurality of sheet feeding rollers are the front side sheet feeding roller 902 disposed on the front side when viewed from the operation surface side Z of the apparatus, and the rear side when viewed from the operation surface side Z of the apparatus. The rear side paper feed rollers 912, 918, 924 respectively arranged in the ABC area correspond to this. Further, the supporting roller means is a supporting roller mechanism 904 arranged on the front side.
And the support roller 906, and the support roller mechanisms 914, 920, 926 and the support rollers 916, 922, 928 respectively arranged in the rear ABC area. (Operation / Effect) According to the present invention, LL size or L size roll paper can be selectively set on the front side and LL, L, M on the rear side according to the use situation and purpose. , S size roll paper can be selectively set. (3) Each of the support roller means is capable of rotatably supporting one end of the sheet roll, and a plurality of support roller mechanisms for rotationally controlling the sheet roll, and the other end of the sheet roll rotatably. The image forming apparatus according to (2), further including a plurality of supporting rollers that support the image forming apparatus. (Structure / Effects) In the present invention, the rotation operation of the roll papers 100, 101, 102, 103 of different sizes set on the front side and the rear side is controlled by a plurality of support roller mechanisms according to the use situation and purpose of use. It becomes possible. (4) The support roller mechanism includes a plurality of support rollers that rotatably support one end of the sheet roll so as to control rewinding of the sheet roll, a reverse motor that controls rotation of the support rollers, and a reverse motor of the reverse motor. The image forming apparatus according to (3) above, further comprising a clutch capable of transmitting the driving force of the motor to the support roller. (Structure / Effects) In the present invention, each paper 1 is fed while image recording is being performed on any of the roll papers 101, 102, 103 or after the predetermined image recording is completed.
In the case of rewinding 01, 102, 103, each of the sheets 101, 102, 103 can be rewound by driving the support roller mechanisms 904, 914, 920, 926. (5) The image forming apparatus according to (2), further comprising a connecting mechanism that rotates the plurality of paper feed rollers simultaneously or selectively independently. (Structure / Effects) In the present invention, the rear side paper feed rollers 912, 918, 924 can be individually rotated by the connecting mechanism (see FIG. 4). (6) The connection mechanism includes a detection circuit capable of detecting the set position and the set state of the plurality of roll sheets, and the image forming apparatus is based on the detection signal output from the detection circuit. The image forming apparatus according to (2) above, further comprising display means for displaying a set position and a set state of the plurality of roll sheets. (Structure / Effects) In the present invention, the set positions of the roll papers 100, 101, 102 and 103 of different sizes are monitored by the detection circuit 950 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B), and this detection is performed. Based on the detection signal output from the circuit 950 to the operation panel 952 (see FIG. 10), the display unit 952a of the operation panel 952 displays the set positions and set states of the various roll papers 100, 101, 102 and 103. It is supposed to be done. As a result,
The operator does not have to open the top cover 801 (see FIG. 10) to set the roll paper 10 set in the image forming apparatus.
It is possible to grasp the set position, the set state, etc. of 0, 101, 102, 103. (7) A conveyance guide that guides the sheet in a predetermined direction when the plurality of sheet rolls supported by the roll support mechanism is fed or rewound is provided. The image forming apparatus according to (1) above, wherein the image forming apparatus is arranged at a position avoiding the conveyance path. (Structure / Effect) In the present invention, the transport guide 98
No. 2 is arranged at a position avoiding the transport path, and therefore roll papers 100, 101, 102,
Sheets fed from 103 can be smoothly guided (see FIGS. 8A and 8B).

[0064]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of setting a sheet roll of an arbitrary size at an arbitrary position according to the use situation or purpose of use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a paper feeding station provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where roll papers of different sizes are set in the paper feeding station shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which sheets of different sizes are being fed from a sheet feeding station to a recording station.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing a configuration of a coupling mechanism applied to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A shows a state in which a plurality of paper feed rollers rotate simultaneously, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the paper feed rollers rotate separately.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of support roller mechanisms arranged on a front side and a rear side of the image recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an arrangement state of a plurality of pinch rollers applied to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing a configuration of a plurality of pinch rollers arranged on a front side. , (B) are perspective views showing configurations of a plurality of pinch rollers arranged on the rear side.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration around a conveyance path between a paper feeding station and a recording station.

8A and 8B are diagrams showing a configuration of a transport guide provided on the transport path, wherein FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a state where the transport guide is arranged on the transport path, and FIG. The figure which shows the state in which the conveyance guide is arrange | positioned in the avoided position.

9A to 9C are plan views showing a state in which roll papers of different sizes are set in a paper feeding station.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Paper feeding station, 201 ... First frame, 20
2 ... second frame, 902 ... front side paper feed roller,
904 ... Front side support roller mechanism, 906 ... Front side support roller, 908 ... First center frame, 91
0 ... second center frame, 912, 918, 924
... rear side paper feed roller, 914, 920, 926 ... rear side support roller mechanism, 916, 922, 928 ... rear side support roller.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A roll supporting device for simultaneously and selectively setting a plurality of sheet rolls, each of which is formed by winding a plurality of sheets having different widths in a roll shape, on a top surface of the device at a desired position. A characteristic image forming apparatus. 2. The roll supporting device is capable of setting the plurality of sheet rolls at arbitrary positions and is configured to selectively rotate the plurality of sheet rolls, and a plurality of sheet rolls. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of supporting roller units that rotatably support the image forming apparatus. 3. A plurality of support roller mechanisms, each of which is capable of rotatably supporting one end of the sheet roll and which controls rotation of the sheet roll,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of support rollers that rotatably support the other end of the sheet roll.